Gas-producer.



No. 768,655. PATENTEDAUG. 30, 1904. v J. GRUSSLEY & T. RIGBY.

GAS PRODUCER. APPLIOA'TION FILED 0011574903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 11 N0 MODEL.

/N VENTO/re@ VV/TA/EGES No. 768.655. PATENTED AUG. so, '1904.

W. J. oRossLEY a; fr. RIGBY.

GAS PRODUCER.

APPLIOATIGN FILED 00T. 15, 1903.

UNITED STATES Patented August 3o, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

GAS-PRODUCER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 768,655, dated August 30, 1904 Application filed October l5, 1903. Serial No. 177,182. (No modell To all whom, it Wawy-concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM JOHN Cnoss- LEY, engineer, of Openshaw, and THOMAS RIGBY, engineer, of l5 /Vest Bank, Higher Openshaw, Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsy in Gas-Producers, of which the following is a specication.

Our invention relates to improvements in those gas-producers in which the gas is drawn direct from the producer by suction or aspiration, such as is produced by the piston of a gas-engine. In such gas-producers great difiiculty is experienced in making gas of uniformly-good quality in cases where a varying demand for gas is constantly changing the rate of combustion. When the steam necessary for the proper gasification of the fuel is raised by means of the heat of the gases leaving the producer, the diiiiculties are increased, as the actual steam generation is diiiicult to keep proportionate to the quantity of gas being made. lf the plant is working at full load and the rate of combustion is at the maximum, it is easy to maintain a uniformly-good quality of gas; but if the demand suddenly decreases to any extent-say to fty per cent. of the maximum-the quantity of steam raised is not readily reduced to the proper proportion. As a consequence an excess of steam is passed through the producer until such time as the steam making readjusts itself and again becomes properly proportioned to the requirements. While steam is being generated in excess the heat of the re is thereby reduced, thus making' it impossible to keep the gas of uniform quality.

The chief object of our invention is to effect the better regulation of the steam proportion in the mixture of air and steam supplied to the producer. Ve have discovered that the working of the producer is improved and a more uniformly good quality of gas is ob-` sult by causing a portion of lvthe air-supply (which we will call the primary air-supply) to be taken direct to the fire and by passing the remainder (which we will call the secondary air-supply) through the steam-raising chamber in the first place, so as to saturate it with steam, then conducting it to the primary air-supply in the second place, and causing the combined primary and secondary air-supplies to enter the fire mixed together.

Our invention has for its second object to prevent the formation of holes and cavities in the fuel-bed. A common defect of producer lire-grates is that any clinker formed is liable to cling to the internal brickwork sides of the producer, and so cause adhesion and hanging of the fuel, with consequent formation of holes and cavities in the fuel-bed. According to our invention we overcome this defect and accomplish our second object by arranging the fire some few inches below the brickwork and causing all the air and steam to pass into the fire from the under side of the fire-grate only.

To enable our invention to be fully understood and readily carried into effect, we will further describe the same with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a suction gas-producer made according to our improvernents. Fig. 2 is a half-section plan of the same, the right-hand half showing a plan on the line Z Z, indicated by Fig. l, and the lefthand half a plan of the top of the producer. Fig. 3 is asectional plan on the lineY Y, Fig. 1.

In the construction illustrated we arrange the fire-grate@ some few inches below the brickwork b, as shown in Fig. l, and as the most intense heat of the fuel is near the firegrate a any clinker formed is generally formed there and in this case away from the nearest brickwork By this construction and arrangement there is nothing to prevent the easy descent of the fuel, because no clinker forms and clings to the internal brickwork sides of the producer, and consequently the tendency to form holes and cavities in the fuel.

bed is entirely obviated in our construction.

To prevent loss by radiation of the intense heat of the fire, box-castings o or other similar devices are used as superheaters and are preferably fixed concentrically with the fire, thereby forming a pair of semicircular boxcastings, as clearly shown in Eig. 3. They IOO are carried by the plate CZ, which also carries the lire-grate a, this in turn being supported bythe external casing of the producer e. The top sides of the castings or superheaters c provide a convenient support for the circular plate f, which carries the brickwork lining of the producer.

The external casing of the producer is prei'- erably made in the form of a cylindrical casting e, with doors g and /z/ above and below the ire-grate to facilitate removal of the ashes, the bottom being inclosed. The top is covered by the horizontal plate-casting' or steamraising device 1, which also acts as a storage for coal, as shown in Fig. l. The underside of the plate is preferably arranged with a number of concentric rings m, the lower portion oi' the rings being secured in the brickwork. The hot gas leaving the producer is passed through the spaces formed by the rings in succession, starting near the center and traveling in a circular direction, passing from ring to ring through the spaces shown at n till the gas-outlet pipe p is reached. By this means intimate contact of the gas is obtained with the whole of the plate, the upper portion being covered with a layer of water. The rings may be arranged, if desired, in a continuous spiral or helix in preference to the concentric arrangement. The inner diameter of the boiler being used as a reservoir of fuel is fed by a suitable charging-hopper s, also arranged as a further reservoir of fuel. Water, in the lirst place, is fed into the annular space of the steamraising apparatus 7c by means ol' a feed-pipe t, whence it lows over the plate t', the overflowpipe a2 being provided to .insure a constant water-level. A suitable steam-space is ar ranged above the water-level and is inclosed by the plate c, covered with non-conducting materials et". Vertical pipes c2 are arranged with their ends inside the steam-space well above the water-level, the lower portions passing down through the water and steam raising device and the plate f and between the brickwork and the external casingv and the lower ends of thc pipes c2 being secured into the superheat'ers c. This is done in such a manner that anything passing through them is made to traverse the whole length oi' the superheaters c before being conducted to the under side of the tire-grate by means of the connections 03, thus making the heating surfaces eifectivc.

All the air or air and steam entering the lire is passed through the lire-grate from the under side thereof, and this is one of the features of the invention, as it insures all intense combus-k tion taking place near the fire-grate and away from the brickwork.

The producer is started to work by blowing air into the lire by means of a hand-fan g2, which causes the lire to become hot enough to make gas suitable for starting the gas-engine.

rlhe primary portion of the air-supply according to our invention is drawn direct to the fire through the hand-fan g2, and the re mainder or secondary air-supply is drawn through the cock g3` and the steam-raising chamber, in the' first place, so as to saturate it with steam, and then by way of the pipes c2 and Athe superheaters c through the short pipes c to the under side of the firegrate, in the second place, the primary air and the secondary' air thus entering the [ire mixed together. The primary air-supply is arranged in close proximity to the tire, the secondary air being pret erably a greater distance away.

The area of the primary air-inlet is usually constricted somewhat with the object of causing the suction to be felt more or less in the steam-chamber and at the secondary air-supply cock. This is done by means of the damper m2 directly under the hand-fan By this arrangement when the load is at a maximum a larger proportion of secondary air to be saturated with steam will be drawn through the cock g3 than when working at the lighter loads. It should be understood that the primary air receiving the iirst etlects of the suction of the engine-piston will always be working at the fullest rate the constricted orifice will allow even on the lowest load. As the demand for gas increases, the quantity of secondary air and steam drawn in will necessarily increase, reaching the maximum at full load, thus insuring in the mixture a larger proportion of steam to air at full load than at light load. Any surplus steam due to sudden changes of the load will escape through the secondary air-inlet cock We do not limit our claims for this regulating device to a suction-producer in which steam is raised from the heat of the gases leaving the producer, as we may use a similar arrangement in cases where the steam necessary for eflicient gasification of the fuel is raised independently by any other means. VIn such a case we should draw the secondary airsupply through any suitable steam-mixing chamber in the first place and then allow the primary air and secondary air loaded with steam to enter the lire mixed together, as before described.

The gas after leaving the producer may be washed and scrubbed or treated as may be desired.

The various constructional details of the producer described herein may be of any suitable material for such a purpose.

vW hat we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. In combination in a suction gas-producer, a steam-chamber, a tire-grate, a primary airsupply for the producer a secondary airsupply passing through the steam-chamber so as to vary the proportion of steam to air corresponding to the load and means for delivering thc primary air and secondary air and IOO IIO

steam to the under side of the Ere-grate so that they will miX and enter the fire together, substantially as described.

2. In combination in a suction gas-producer, a steam-chamber, a lire-grate, a box-casting surrounding the grate, a primary air-supply, a secondary air-supply, said secondary airsupply being connected with the steam-chamber, and the box-casting whereby the air is superheated and means for delivering the primary air and the secondary air and steam to the under side of the grate so that they Will mix and pass into the tire together, substantially as described.

3. In suction gasproducer plants, a steamehamber, a constant primary air-supply, in combination with a variable secondary airsupply for the plant, said secondary air-supply entering the steam-chamber on its passage to the combustion-point whereby the proportion1 of steam to -airwill Vary according to the loac. Y

4. In combination in a suction gas-producer, a easing a lining therefor, a grate below said lining, a pair of semicircular box-castings between said grate and lining, said castings having steam and air inlet ports at one end and outlet-ports at the opposite end so that the steam and air Will pass through said castings to the under side of the grate and rise through the saine.

In Witness whereof We have hereunto set our hands in presence of two Witnesses.

W. J. CROSSLEY. T. RIGBY. Witnesses:

JOHN MATHIEsoN, EDWD. OAKES. 

